Jilu Clan

Overview

The Jilu clan is a Manchu surname listed in Volume 58 of the official genealogy of the Eight Banners Manchu clans compiled during the Qianlong reign. Their ancestral home was in Ula and Jilin Ula. The Gartu clan of the Bordered Blue Banner resided in Ula; their grandson Naqin served as an assistant department director (*yuanwailang*), Nalanga as a scribe, and their great-grandson Baihe as a ceremonial official. The Borhun clan of the same banner resided in Jilin Ula; their grandson Changbao served as a military officer. Both branches submitted to the Qing dynasty at the beginning of its rule.

An assistant department director (*yuanwailang*) was a common civil service position in the central government; a scribe handled copying, translation, and document processing (the Manchu term was bithesi); a ceremonial official handled ceremonial affairs; and a military officer managed their assigned guards. Therefore, the descendants of this surname include those serving in administrative documents, ceremonial duties, and military security, and cannot be simply categorized as a family of military merit.

Gartu and Borhun are the starting points for the records of these two branches; their specific official positions belonged to their grandsons or great-grandsons and cannot be attributed to the individuals themselves. The historical geographical scope of Ula and Jilin Ula must be determined in conjunction with the dates. Even if they are related, the differences in the original writing cannot be directly erased. The genealogy does not provide information on the common ancestor of the two branches, the specific military commander or modern surname; the ancestral settlement, the affiliation of the ceremonial office, and the term of office of each individual still need to be verified.